Letter from Hong Kong - #15

Yesterday was Chung Yeung Holiday or some call it Double Nine because it falls on the ninth day of the ninth month each year. It is the day that most if not all visits the grave of their ancestors. Jenny and I participated in this tradition with the family.

A shot from the Tsuen Wan Permanent Cemetery looking toward Tsing Yi.

Here is the family enjoying dinner on Chung Yeung Holiday.

More on getting around in Hong Kong:

Getting around Hong Kong is really easy if you don't mind taking public transportation. Since being here we have taken a bus, subway, light bus (a mini-van with about 14 passengers), ferries, taxis - water and land. In every case, except land taxi, we can use a smart card payment system called: Octopus. This Card was developed in 1993 by the five major transportation companies in Hong Kong. Today you can use this smart card not only to travel but to also buy groceries and in many shops. It is so convenient and reduces the amount of local currencies one must carry. Replenishing the card is very simple; it can be completed at any MTR station and also 7-Eleven stores.

Above is a shot of Tai O located on the Southeast corner of Lantau Island. To go from Hung Hum to Tai O using public transport it takes about one hour and forty-five minutes. Before the improvements in the MTR and roads on Lantau it would have taken, most likely twice that much time, if not more. Before 1997 the only way to get there was via ferry; now one has many other options with the MTR/bus being the fastest.